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The new workshops are designed to cater specifically for the operational needs of SMEs, says The Icehouse chief executive, Andy Hamilton.

"The workshops cover a number of topics that business owners have told us they are challenged by including finance, HR, sales and marketing to governance, leadership and many more," he said.

The training workshops will be offered in three formats (90-minute web seminars, two and half-hour workshops, and two day workshops) to give business owners the flexibility to access the information in a way that suits them, says Hamilton.

"These new, short workshops are a great addition to the current offering and we think the choice of options will enable us to work with thousands more business owners and senior managers across the country," Hamilton said.

The Icehouse/BNZ research surveyed 580 businesses and found that the main areas business owners felt they needed expert assistance were retaining and acquiring new customers (44 per cent), cashflow funding (41 per cent), and recruiting staff and improving performance (36 per cent).

The workshops are available from April, starting in Auckland and Christchurch and then rolling out across 11 regions in New Zealand.